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DBweekly
Conant Acres:
GOOD CORN, GOOD COWS & GOOD PEOPLE
By Parker Welch
I’ve had the good fortune to be able to travel
to many farms over the years. Through judging
team trips, youth conventions and cattle sales,
I have been to farms all over the country and
Canada. However, I had never had the pleasure
of visiting Conant Acres, Inc. in Canton, ME,
until last week. And what a pleasure it was.
We arrived at lunch time and the Conant
Acres’ crew was waiting for us in the yard
next to the “famous corn stand” I had heard so
much about. Duane Conant, who has managed
the family farm since the early 1970’s with his
wife Betty, Steve and Debbie (Conant) Keene,
Matt and Natalie (Keene) Sneller along with
son Gerrit, and Brian’s wife Sarah Keene, were
all there to greet us. I had heard a lot about the
corn stand so I was eager to try a few ears. The
corn didn’t disappoint and the stand was busy
all day with repeat customers raving about how
good it was.
Also deserving of rave reviews is the group
of cows in the barns at Conant Acres. The herd
boasts a BAA of 114.2 with 66 EX and 27 VG
individuals. The most impressive statistic is
that out of 23 first lactation cows scored, 10
are VG-88 and 4 are VG-89.
They have achieved great success based
on one principle: family. Breeding good cow
families and having a truly family-run operation
have proven to be the keys for success for
Duane Conant and his family. After all,
“families come first” at Conant Acres.
When walking through the tie-stall barn you
could see the influence Brigeen-C Intergrit
Robin (EX-95 2E), Swampy-Hollow Elevation
Sweet (EX-92 3E) and Pond-Oak Ned Boy
Margot-ET (EX-95 3E) have had on their herd.
Many of the signs hung above the cows had
one of these three in their pedigree. These
cows were the results of smart investments by
Duane and Dennis Conant and Steve Keene,
and have proven themselves as foundation
cows. It was a lot fun looking at their herd – like
looking at a whole bunch of show cows that
just all happened to be a part of the same
herd. Duane said he “loves coming down to the
barn in the morning and seeing them at 3 a.m.
because that’s when they look their best.”
Working with cows of this caliber certainly
makes things fun for the crew at Conant.
13 Click here to visit Conant Acres website!
“We like to have fun when we’re out in the
barns. If you’re not having fun, then what’s
the point?” Duane said with a wink and a grin.
And after being there for a few hours I can tell
that there is plenty of fun being had at Conant
Acres. The future looks bright for Conant Acres.
There is another generation of good heifers
and great people on the rise. If you’re ever in
the area, stop by the farm and see their great
cows, meet the people, and be sure to get
some corn!